


What We Want

by b_ofdale



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst... I don't know her, Asexual Characters, Fluff, M/M, Slice of Life, kinda slow burn somehow packed in a one-shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2017-12-06
Packaged: 2019-02-11 08:49:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12931782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/b_ofdale/pseuds/b_ofdale
Summary: Bard couldn’t be seriously annoyed with the project—he was glad something had allowed them the possibility of becoming friends. Even if it was something as frustrating as a huge assignment.





	What We Want

**Author's Note:**

  * For [johnsmoore](https://archiveofourown.org/users/johnsmoore/gifts).



> HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIZ!!!
> 
> Yes, I was the Anon from the other day. I had an idea since August, but when it was time to write it I didn't feel it, then I had another idea but three paragraphs in I realized I wasn't feeling it either, so I thought I'd just ask. :p
> 
> So here's your second gift, I hope you'll like it sugarcube!! <3
> 
> I wanted it to be short, light, and enjoyable. It ended up being long, light, and hopefully enjoyable.
> 
> (I have no idea which country this is happening in, but I kinda based it on Belgium, because it's all I know xD)
> 
> The biggest of thanks to [Iza](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Piyo13/) for the quick quality editing!! :D

“Sorry, you’ve got gum in your hair?” 

“Excuse me?”

“You’ve got _gum_ in your _hair_.”

“What—oh fuck—”

Shifting awkwardly on his seat, Bard gave his neighbour a sympathetic smile. An ugly ball of pink gum had somehow made itself a home in the student’s rather long hair, student who was now cursing under his breath as he tried to figure out how to deal with the mess. Bard understood the frustration; he’d once been in the same situation himself—and it hadn’t been an accident. 

He gave the student another look, taking in the unusual blue of his eyes and realizing that he probably wouldn’t have dared talk to him so bluntly if he’d taken a proper look at him. There was something cold and intimidating about him, though Bard wasn’t one to be easily impressed. He then turned his attention back to the lecture before he lost track of his notes. 

Bard glanced back at the student when he let out a quiet, frustrated grunt. “Well, that’s ruined,” he whispered to himself, and then fell silent until the end of the lecture, when he quickly put his laptop into his backpack. 

As he slid his bag over his shoulder, he addressed Bard again. “Thanks for letting me know.”

Bard shrugged. “Sure. I’ve been there.” He ran his hand over his hair, inadvertently freeing a lock from his already messy bun. “Good luck. Hope it’ll work out.”

“Yeah, me too. Thanks again.”

  


~•§•~

Bard didn’t get a chance to think about the other student until they sat next to each other again a week later, groaning like many students when the teacher announced she would give the information about the first big assignment of the year five minutes before the end of the class, to be due right before the winter holidays in a bit over three months’ time.

“As if I didn’t have enough to do already,” the student muttered under his breath, though it sounded more like resignation than a complaint, which Bard could understand—with his occasional job, each new assignment meant less sleep every night, but well. . . he’d signed up for this, he supposed.

They exchanged a glance of mutual understanding, Bard noticing that the student’s hair was a tad shorter than the last time he’d seen him, and feeling a bit sad for it—but the student didn’t seem bothered by what the gum accident had caused, and so Bard tore his attention away. 

As announced, the teacher later explained what the assignment was about and how they would have to proceed. At the news that they would have to work in pairs with the person next to them, Bard shared a somewhat awkward smile with the stranger.

“Looks like she wants us to socialize,” Bard said, getting a short laugh out of the other. “Again.”

“I hate it.” The student gave Bard an unreadable look. “Usually.”

“Yeah, me too.” 

“I’m Thranduil,” the student said then, as he slid his laptop into his bag. 

“I’m Bard,” said Bard, doing the same with his pencil case and notebook. 

“You’ve got Facebook, Brad?”

“ _Bard,_ ” Bard corrected, suppressing a huff. “And yes, I do. Name’s Bowman.”

“Alright then.” Thranduil nodded, standing up. “I’ll message you.”

And with that, he left.

  


~•§•~

The next day Bard got a message from Thranduil, whose last name was apparently Oropherion. He asked if Bard had any ideas on how to approach the subject they would have to cover, and if Bard would like to meet in the library after their shared lecture next Tuesday to talk about it. Bard had no reason to refuse.

Thranduil was a curious character; his friend list was huge, to say the least, and Bard couldn’t help but notice he didn’t hang out with many people on campus. He hadn’t been with anyone the first two times they’d seen each other, and he wasn’t when Bard met with him again in the library. 

He didn’t have to wonder for much longer, though; as they wrote down their ideas, they also satisfied each other’s apparent curiosity, which was a curious thing in itself. When students were paired with strangers, they usually didn’t bother to ask questions and merely worked on whatever assignment they’d been given. 

“I come from the other side of the country,” Thranduil explained. “I’ve got a studio on the other side of campus. I haven’t been to the city much.”

“I could show you around,” Bard said as he added to their notes distractedly. “I go back home on the weekends, but I know the big places. There’s a great cinema not far from here. A cool café, too.”

“I could do with coffee.”

“Now?”

“No, but Friday after class? We can start working.”

Bard nodded. “Sounds good to me,” he then gestured to their computer’s screen. “More ideas?”

Thranduil shook his head. “Should be enough. I’d prefer being run over to brainstorming for one more second.”

Bard let out a laugh. “That’d be a shame.”

Though Thranduil raised an eyebrow as Bard stood and put his sweatshirt back on, he merely turned his attention back to the screen, the corner of his mouth turned upwards. “I’ll send you everything. See you Friday, then?”

“Yeah, I’ll pick you up at your place.”

Thranduil’s head shot up at that. “‘Pick me up?’ In a car?”

Bard shrugged, sliding his bag over his shoulder. 

“Of a sort. It’s a pile of crap, but it holds together.”

  


~•§•~

On Friday morning, Bard got a message from Thranduil with the address of his studio. They’d decided through messaging of their approach, and having found something they were both sufficiently interested in, the prospect of working on it for three months wasn’t so much of a bad thing. At least, as Thranduil had put it the day before, they didn’t dislike each other yet, which would make the experience that much more bearable.

It didn’t stop either of them from lightly cursing their professor for making it so complicated, though. Bard couldn’t be seriously annoyed with the project—he was glad something had allowed them the possibility of becoming friends. Even if it was something as frustrating as a huge assignment.

It wasn’t always easy, being away from home. It felt lonely, at times, but Bard had never been one for socialization. His work and his family had always been more important, but he couldn’t deny being glad school had put some enjoyable company on his path. 

Bard texted Thranduil the moment he parked in front of his studio, which was even further away on the other side of campus, thirty minutes away from Bard’s dormroom. The face Thranduil made as he turned from the door he’d just closed and saw Bard’s old bike was quite something; Bard barely retained an amused snort. 

Bard held up his extra helmet. “You won’t die tonight, I promise.”

Thranduil took the few steps separating them with a strange mix of apprehension and determination. “I sure hope so,” he said. 

Bard laughed once again, throwing the helmet at Thranduil.

  


~•§•~

“Don’t you regret cutting your hair?” Bard mused once.

“Not really. I didn’t cut that much, and it was getting heavy,” Thranduil replied, not looking up from the laptop’s screen. “Why?”

“I don’t know. I can’t imagine myself cutting mine shorter than what I’m used to.”

“And you shouldn’t. It looks good on you. Not many guys can wear long hair and get away with it.”

“And you’re one of those guys?”

Thranduil glanced up, a skeptical eyebrow raised. “Are you seriously asking?”

  


~•§•~

To Bard’s amusement, over time Thranduil ended up liking the bike way more than he’d ever thought he would, to which he admitted one day. And the café, too. It had become their working spot, where they stayed for hours drinking warm drinks and making progress on their project.

They went to the cinema once, to celebrate another section completed. 

Eventually came a day when the café was closed, making Bard let out a quiet groan and Thranduil curse under his breath as they stood in front of the place, dark as the night while the frost bit their cheeks and turned them pink. 

“The library’s closed at this time. Guess we’ll have to work from home,” Thranduil said, tucking his hands in his coat’s pockets. 

“I’d invite you over for the weekend, but as much as I love my brother and sisters, they’d never leave us alone.”

“We could work at my place. Staying for the weekend isn’t a bad idea. We’d get more work done.”

“And where would I sleep?” Bard said with a short laugh, “On the floor?”

“I got a king size bed.”

“A king size bed in a student’s studio?”

“My father is rich and I’m tall.”

Bard shook his head in amusement, before shrugging. “Alright, then. We can watch movies afterwards, if you’d be up for that.”

Thranduil raised an eyebrow. “Who wouldn’t be up for that?”

Bard clapped Thranduil’s shoulder, and off they went. 

They stopped at Bard’s dorm, where he stuffed everything he would need in a backpack, ignoring Thranduil’s comments on his poor taste in decoration, before heading back to his bike, onto which they both climbed. 

Bard understood the comments the second he stepped inside Thranduil’s place. The first thing he noticed was the amount of plants, turning the place almost green. 

“Wow. What do all these plants do? Eat away all your uni-induced stress?”

“God, I wish,” Thranduil sighed as he threw his bag on his bed, which was, indeed, big enough for two people. It took Bard seeing it to realize just what he’d signed up for. 

“You don’t mind sharing? You know—” 

Thranduil glared at him, stopping in his motion of taking cups out of the small cupboard. “Bard, I thought I knew you. Please don’t tell me you’re one of those ‘no homo’ guys.”

Bard huffed, rubbing at his neck uncomfortably. It hadn’t even crossed his mind. “What? No!” he said. “I’m not sure why I asked. Felt like I had to, you know?”

Thranduil studied him a moment longer, until he put the cups down, and eventually his eyes grew kinder. “Yeah. I know.”

  


~•§•~

“I can’t sleep.”

“What’re you thinking ‘bout?” Thranduil mumbled in half sleep. 

“I don’t know. Stuff,” Bard replied quietly. “What are you thinking about?”

“I’m thinking about cats.”

Bard snorted. “What?”

“Cats. I love cats. I miss my cats.”

“I love dogs.”

“If you’re not a cat person, we can’t be friends.”

With a huff, Bard weakly punched Thranduil’s arm. “I like cats too.”

“Then maybe I’ll keep tolerating you.”

  


~•§•~

Throughout the whole evening and into the night, a lump found its way into Bard’s throat. It wasn’t until morning, when Bard woke up and realized Thranduil was simply asleep on the other side of the bed, that it disappeared.

They hadn’t worked as much as they’d meant to, drinking homemade coffee and watching movies sooner than expected instead, with the promise that they would be more productive in the morning. 

Since Bard didn’t like the thought of doing nothing while Thranduil slept, he got up and proceeded to make himself some more coffee, keeping some hot water for Thranduil, before getting their laptops, books, and notes ready on the desk as silently as possible. 

By the time he was done, Thranduil had woken up, stirring and yawning, his hair a mess. Bard was far from having ever imagined that he would one day see the student with the gum in his hair in such an intimate setting. That being said, he probably didn’t look much better himself. 

“Morning.”

“Morning,” Thranduil said in a sleepy voice, groaning quietly as he pushed himself out of bed and almost zombie walked to the hot water. He got a teabag, a cup, and then sat at the desk, making Bard wonder if he wouldn’t fall right back asleep, right there. 

Thranduil didn’t, but it took a good moment until he was awake enough to understand what they were saying and remember where they were going with their assignment.

“You could have slept a bit longer,” Bard said, rubbing his own eyes and yawning.

“If I had, we wouldn’t have gotten to work until noon,” was Thranduil’s determined reply, though Bard didn’t miss the hint of regret in it. 

Bard smiled to himself. It looked like Thranduil was a living at night and sleeping in type of guy. Everything that Bard wasn’t, which made Bard appreciate the effort. 

When, later that day, Bard had to leave for his job, he found himself wishing he could have shared Thranduil’s company a while longer, even if it was just to work. Still, it brought him great comfort to know Thranduil would be there when he came back. 

He wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

  


~•§•~

“I didn’t think you were a crier.”

“I didn’t think you were one either,” Bard snapped back, wiping his cheeks with the back of his hand, glancing from the cinema’s screen to Thranduil and indeed catching a few tears rolling down his cheeks. 

Using his elbow, Thranduil hit Bard’s arm weakly. “Shut up.”

  


~•§•~

By the time the first two months were over, Bard was more than happy to notify Thranduil that they were so close to being done that they could soon work on the conclusion of their assignment, which wouldn’t require them to borrow books from the library and spend countless hours scrolling through the internet in search of information as much as they had previously.

Thranduil seemed enthusiastic at the prospect: it had quickly become clear to Bard that Thranduil was more creative than academic, and he was looking forward to more free time. Bard was, too, though perhaps not in the same ways. He just liked to put his hands to good use, like Thranduil came to learn when Bard’s bike gave out and Bard spent the afternoon fixing it in front of the building.

“Hey.”

“Mmh?” Thranduil glanced up from the book he was going through. Around them, some students whispered between themselves as well, hoping not to be too loud and asked to leave the university’s library.

Bard inched closer to Thranduil. “Once we’re done,” he murmured. “Would you still want hang out?”

“No,” Thranduil murmured back in a humorous tone. “I can’t wait to get rid of you.”

Bard rolled his eyes. “If you did, you already would have.”

“Maybe I’m just taking pity on you.”

Bard let out a short laugh, which earned him a glare and ‘sshhh!’ from both other students and the librarian. He concentrated on finishing his assignment from another class before packing up. 

“Can you come over again next weekend? Not this one, the one after.” Thranduil asked, just as he turned the page of his book with a nod of satisfaction. “We’ll finally finish this damn thing.”

“I’ll ask my siblings,” Bard joked, closing his own book. “Well, that’s done. I’m going to the café, before we get thrown out of here.” 

“See you. I’ll join you there.”

And later in the afternoon, he did, buying Bard his coffee despite his protests, their feet brushing under the table without either of them acknowledging it.

  


~•§•~

“I can’t believe we’re almost done,” Bard said, letting himself fall back on the bed with a contented grunt. “If I have to reread it one more time, you might as well shoot me.”

“I’ll reread it, then,” Thranduil replied absently, glancing at his screen. “I thought we wouldn’t finish it until, like, the day before. And that I’d be working like the world was ending while you. . . chilled.” Thranduil looked back at him. “You’re a pretty good assignment partner.”

“Thanks. I wish all my group projects had gone this smoothly.”

“Me, too,” Thranduil sighed, and fell back on the bed next to Bard. He then contorted weirdly to reach his laptop and started a new playlist. 

“You know—” Bard started, “It’s been fun.” 

“I never thought I’d say that about an assignment,” Thranduil laughed. “It’s all thanks to that gum.”

“What?”

“Yeah. You’d been nice to me, so I sat back down next to you.” 

“Seriously? I thought it was just luck.”

“Sitting next to you the next day would have been weird,” Thranduil explained, playing with a lock of his hair. “A week sounded more reasonable.”

“You can’t be serious.”

Thranduil shrugged, facing Bard, his brows forming a slight crease, genuine surprise in his eyes. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  


~•§•~

“We should have done it more often.”

“Working together on the weekends?”

“Yeah. We progressed faster. And—”

“And what?” asked Bard.

“I don’t know,” Thranduil said, quietly. “It gets lonely, sometimes.”

  


~•§•~

“So, what now?”

They sat on the bed cross-legged, their knees brushing despite the space. They’d just sent their assignment to the teacher. Suddenly, it felt like there was much less pressure upon their shoulders, even though they were far from being done with university work. 

“We could celebrate. Grab a drink.”

Thranduil gave Bard a look. “I’ve never seen you step inside a pub.”

“I like a beer now and then. Just didn’t have time for one yet.”

Thranduil winced. “Beer?” he said it with so much disgust that Bard couldn’t help but laugh. He wasn’t surprised. Thranduil didn’t look like a beer kind of person. More of a wine person. 

“The Belgian stuff isn’t so bad,” Bard protested playfully. 

“Beer tastes like bitter awfulness no matter where it comes from,” Thranduil insisted. “Wine, however—”

Bard snapped his fingers, grinning. “Called it.”

“Called what?”

Suppressing a laugh, Bard said, “Nothing.”

They fell into silence, staring at the ceiling, a light laugh slowly shaking the both of them. As their laughter stopped, Bard let his hand slide from his stomach to his side, where it brushed Thranduil’s. 

Neither of them moved, and despite the ball of anxiety in his chest, Bard couldn’t wipe the smile off his face.

  


~•§•~

Bard woke up at night. Next to him, Thranduil slept in a halo of moonlight. He watched Thranduil for a while, snoring lightly and looking more at peace than he’d ever been, until his eyelids grew too heavy and sleep claimed him once more.

When he woke up again, it was Thranduil that he found silently watching him, nothing to be read but a strange mix of affection and confusion across his face.

  


~•§•~

“See you after the break?”

Standing by the door, Bard hooked his backpack over his shoulder. He clenched and unclenched the fingers of his hand, finding it hard to keep his eyes off of Thranduil. 

“Yeah, I’ll message you,” Thranduil replied, before he seemed to change his mind about something, leaning against the doorframe. “Hey, fancy catching a movie this Friday before I head off home?”

“Sure,” Bard replied, perhaps too fast. 

Given his smirk, Thranduil noticed it. He didn’t say anything, though.

  


~•§•~

“Well, I really liked it,” Thranduil said. “Loved it, even.” He sent Bard a look of barely concealed curiosity. “What did you think?”

Bard nodded absently, running his hand through his hair. He winced as they walked out into the freezing night. He’d liked the movie, too; but it wasn’t really what his mind was focused on. 

He thought of work the next day, and how this time, there would be no one to meet at the end of the day. It was just two weeks of spending time with family and studying, and Bard wasn’t sure how to explain why he missed Thranduil already, when he hadn’t even left yet. 

Bard shook himself. He’d have all the time in the world to brood once he got home, and even then his brother and sisters would keep his mind off of things, no doubt. 

Quickly, Bard sent a look Thranduil’s way. He seemed deep in thought, too, his fingers playing with a lock of hair as he looked straight ahead. 

To break the silence, Bard made one light clap of his hands, turning to Thranduil and walking backwards over a few meters. “Honestly, I didn’t know I could enjoy a romance that much.”

Thranduil made a sound that resembled a snort. “Somehow, I doubt that. You’ve got that huge romantic guy vibe,” Thranduil objected. “You’d just never seen a queer movie before. And a pretty good one at that.”

“Pretty good? No, amazing,” Bard said. “I loved it, too.”

“And I love that you’re not even denying you’re the romantic kind of guy.”

Bard shrugged, returning to a regular way of walking as they approached his bike. “Why deny something I know I am?” He was about to put his helmet on, but instead turned back toward Thranduil. He stood on the sidewalk, almost at arm’s reach, only the light of the moon shining over him, like he was waiting for something, smiling in a way that was almost endearing through the cold, strangely fragile strength that always emanated from him. 

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Bard took a slow step towards him, expecting Thranduil to take a step back; he didn’t, merely stood there, sharp blue eyes finding Bard’s and not letting them go. Taking Bard’s breath away. 

They had never been this close—except, perhaps, the one time Bard had woken up and found Thranduil snuggled against his side, like a cat. 

For a few seconds, only their breaths were shared, white steam rising and disappearing before it could reach the sky, whatever Bard had meant to say next stuck in his throat. 

Then Bard closed his eyes and, just like that, kissed him. 

A soft, fleeting thing of a kiss that made his cheeks burn and his heart flutter. 

A kiss that Thranduil returned, his hands going up to frame Bard’s face, their warmth a pleasant shock against the cold numbness of Bard’s cheeks. 

And Bard smiled, until he remembered all the implications that could come with what he had just done. Only then did he break contact, his eyes going straight back to Thranduil’s, but not seeing whatever they held in the dark. 

“I’m sorry,” Bard breathed. “I don’t know why I did that.”

Thranduil stared at him for a moment, before simply saying, “I think you do.” 

Bard found the emotion in his voice unreadable, and inexplicable. He looked away. 

But Thranduil was right—he did know.

  


~•§•~

Bard had thought that despite what had happened before he’d driven Thranduil back to his studio, they would have been in contact during the holidays, be it updates on how they were doing or helping each other out with studying. But he got no messages, and his texts went unanswered. He first thought that he’d done something wrong, until he realized it wasn’t so out of character that Thranduil would withdraw if he had something on his mind.

If Bard had learned something from Thranduil, it was that, like Bard himself, he was the kind of loner that actually craved a certain amount of company. There were quite a few things that were different about them, but if there was anything they could understand about each other, it was just that. 

It took some self-reflection, a fair amount of brooding, and some surprisingly wise words from his little sister for Bard to understand what Thranduil was doing.

One needed no more than spending some time with Thranduil to understand that he knew exactly who he was, and that he was the kind of person who knew exactly what he wanted. 

Bard, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure. He’d known since he was seventeen that he was interested in both boys and girls, when he’d developed a strong crush on a male classmate. But feelings were a complicated thing, and with his siblings to care about and his family, he hadn’t had much time to reflect upon who he was further than that. 

He’d thought it could wait, but now that he was being put face to face with it through his affection for Thranduil, so strong and magnetic as it was, he couldn’t push it away for later like he’d so often done over the years. 

That was why Thranduil didn’t make himself available; he was giving Bard space to think about what he wanted without influence, because Thranduil, well—he already knew what _he_ wanted, and, knowing him as Bard did now, he didn’t wish to get himself into a situation that wouldn’t be worth it in the long term. 

Not the best way to go about things, really.

“Idiot,” Bard muttered, shaking his head. Looked like making things more complicated than they had to be was a Thranduil thing.

Because, well, Bard had been sure of what he wanted for a while now—there was just one thing that he needed to say, and he needed Thranduil to be there to hear it.

  


~•§•~

Despite the weight of the words Bard was dying to say on his tongue, Bard found it hard to keep a straight face at the sight of Thranduil on his dorm room’s porch, as soaked from the rain that had started pouring when Bard had gotten home as his luggage was.

“I lost the key to my place while I was away. Owner says he can’t get me another until Monday.”

“I never thought I’d ever hear you say that,” Bard said with a weak smile. 

“Yeah. . .” Thranduil shifted from one foot to the other. Bard couldn’t help but think it absolutely wasn’t like him. “So can I come in or not?”

“Yeah, sure,” Bard said, stepping aside. “You’re lucky, my roommate’s still away.”

“Great,” Thranduil said, then added in a mutter, “This is already embarrassing enough as it is.”

  


~•§•~

“Can you take that off? I can’t take you seriously.”

With a roll of his eyes, Thranduil freed his hair from the towel on his head. It all fell in a mess over his shoulders. He then raised both his eyebrows in what Bard understood was a silent question. 

“Thanks,” Bard laughed, glad to make Thranduil smile. “I’ve been thinking.”

“Good,” Thranduil said with a nod. “About what?”

“About me. About us.” Bard took a deep breath. “You were right. I knew why I did that—kissing you.”

“Ah.”

“I just—I thought I was an imposter, or something. I don’t know. Because it’s the first time I seriously feel—”

Thranduil cut him off with a short shake of his head. “You’re not an imposter, believe me. If you feel something, you feel it. No matter when, no matter how ‘late’,” he said. “It’s alright not to be sure—” He paused, his eyes trailing over Bard until they flicked back up and made eye contact, suddenly looking all the more serious. “But now, are you?”

Bard smiled. He’d never realized how much he needed to hear all that. “I think I was well before I kissed you. But that wasn’t the problem. . . it’s complicated—”

“How so?”

“I like you.” Bard struggled with which words to use next, having never told this to anyone. “But I don’t want—I don’t feel—”

Thranduil frowned. “What do you mean—oh.” He paused, looking down at Bard in understanding. Bard breathed out in relief. Then, Thranduil deadpanned, “You like me, but you don’t want to fuck me.”

Bard winced. “Well that’s one way to put it.”

“Good, because I don’t want to either.”

“You’re joking.”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

Bard took one good look at Thranduil. He still sat cross-legged on the bed opposite Bard’s, his hair a wet mess and a look of dead, somewhat amused seriousness across his face. “I guess not,” Bard said eventually, rubbing his neck.

“So, what are you comfortable with?”

Bard blinked, once, twice, letting his hand fall back on his lap, staring at Thranduil. He’d never thought anyone would ever ask him that. He’d never thought it would feel so right, either. 

“Kissing. Hand holding.” Bard rubbed his neck again. “Cuddling? You know, that kind of thing.”

Thranduil gave a nod of his head, his lips forming a smile. “Same,” he said, and even to Bard’s ears it sounded spoken in relief, like Thranduil had had this conversation before, but it hadn’t gone so well. 

They shared a smile, a knowing look. 

“So. . .” Thranduil’s voice was but a breath, yet somehow full of purpose. Like an invitation. 

So Bard left his bed, coming to crouch in front of Thranduil, catching his hands in his. 

Then asked, “Can I kiss you?”

**Author's Note:**

> Not a big fan of how I wrote the last part and the third part before the end (I couldn't help it I had to make them ace again I'm soRRY) and I wish I could have written them in an established relationship more, but it was getting too long (3.5k who?) and I didn't have enough time (blaming this on writer's block and my changes of plans) ;w;
> 
> bUT ANYWAY there you go, love you much Liz!! ♡ Happy Birthday again, have a fantastic day!! <33
> 
> [Here's the aesthetic](http://barduil.tumblr.com/post/170574970458/what-we-want-bardthranduil-alternate-universe) if you wish to share it!


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